Somalia: Al-Shabaab destroys Hormuud telecom tower with car bomb

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Hormuud Telecom, Somalia's largest telecommunication giant, has confirmed the destruction of its telecommunication tower and center in Qaayib village within Galmadug, in a car bomb attack by the Al-Shabaab militants.

Witnesses said the Monday morning explosion saw a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device [VBIED] destroy the center, affecting relaying of information in the area. The Al-Shabaab militants would later face resistance from local troops who were targeted.

"It’s with great sadness to inform our customers that a VBIED attack destroyed our site in Qaayib, a village in the Galgudud region today," the company said in a tweet. Galgudud is a region within the larger Galmudug State.

Throughout Monday, the service provider could not solve the communication stalemate with the mobile money platform; Electronic Voucher Card, or EVC was significantly affected. The militants usually target communication gadgets while carrying out attacks.

"Almost 14,000 people lost access to the company's services including EVC Plus, the only payment method in the area," Hormuud Telecom tweeted. The giant Telecom vowed to restore services in the area as quickly as possible without giving specific timelines.

Through proxy media outlets, the militants claimed it attacked a government office before dispatching a suicide bomber and subsequent attack by the infantry team. According to the group, 37 people including three officers were killed but the claims could not be verified independently.

But in a rejoinder, the government insisted that the attackers were neutralized by the local army, whose base within the village was targeted. Major Mohamed Farah, a military officer in the nearby town of Bahdo, told Reuters that 10 soldiers and 20 al-Shabab militants were killed in the fighting.

Galmudug state Information Minister Ahmed Shire Falagle told VOA Somali that the militants lost Qaayib a week ago and wanted to retake it but were "chased away." Falagle said civilians and nomads have been hurt in the attack, but he did not specify casualty figures.

The government has heightened the fight against Al-Shabaab in recent months with statistics from authorities indicating that over 400 militants may have been killed. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has often asked locals to take arms against the militants who have destroyed the economy of the country.

GAROWE ONLINE